Beauty And Perfection

Royal Doulton figurines are world renowned for their exquisite craftsmanship, delicate beauty and whimsy collected by many and I am no exception. I am awed by the quality of workmanship, mostly done by hand, as the many individual pieces are painstakingly removed from the molds, joined, finished and painted in rich deep colours. They are translucent yet strong due to the main compounds, cornish stone, china clay and calcied bone ash, the original and unique innovation of Royal Doulton.

I have been surrounded by these figurines since I was a child, a favourite of my Mother's. When I reached adulthood I started collecting the miniatures (4" in height). I had five before they discontinued the line. Two of note which were quite popular are Christmas Morn, beautiful in red with a white fur trimmed jacket and muff over a full, flowing red skirt and Buttercup, lovely in green holding her hat so it wouldn't blow away in the wind. My favourite figurine is Kindred Spirits (7" in height), the special millenium figurine for the year 2000. I gave it to my Mother that Christmas because her middle name was Kindred. It's two young girls in white facing each other holding hands, their long skirts and pigtails flying as they enjoy a carefree moment in childhood. Now, since I recently lost my Mother when I look at the Kindred Spirits I see the smile this charming figurine brought to her face. A memory to cherish.

Moss Gardening Beautiful And InstructiveMoss Gardening, Including Lichens, Liverworts, and other Miniatures by George Schenk, c 1997, 261 pagesA lifetime of following mosses around the globe is shared in...